6 Steps of Getting Into Ketosis

Steps of Getting Into Ketosis

Ketosis is a normal metabolic state in which most of the energy supply required by your body will be gained from the ketone bodies in your blood. This process is different from glycolysis, in which most of your energy will be provided by the glucose levels in your blood.

Keto adaptation takes place when your metabolism is transferred to depending on fat-based sources as your main source of fuel, rather than depending on sugar or glucose sources. The fat oxidation in your body improved as your fats broken down into ketones. Ketones are the main source of energy. The level of your carb intake at present will have a great impact on the amount of time it will take for you to get into ketosis. Those addicted to sugar take anywhere between 2 weeks and 6 months to completely train your body to get into the process.

However, there are certain steps you can follow to train your body faster. If you have been thinking about how to get into ketosis and looking for effective ways for the same, here are a few steps you should follow:

1. Reduce Your Carb Intake

As mentioned before, your body is fully trained to use glucose as the main source of energy. But, by reducing your intake of carbohydrate, you can make your body look for a different source of energy, like fatty acids or ketone bodies, which is also naturally produced.

However, carbohydrate’s restriction level in ketosis differs from one person to another. While some of you can initiate the process by limiting your daily carb intake to 20 grams, others may need to take twice this amount to achieve the same results. Once your body adapts to this source of energy, you can slowly increase the level of your carb intake as long as you remain in ketosis.

2. Include MCTs in Your Diet

Medium Chain Triglycerides (MCTs) are nothing but a type of fatty acid that is quickly absorbed and taken to the liver directly, where they get transformed into ketones or used for energy on an immediate basis. One of the best and easily available MCTs you can include in your diet to get into ketosis is coconut oil. If this is your first time including coconut oil in your diet, make sure that you do so gradually to eliminate or minimize certain side effects pertinent to digestion, like diarrhea or stomach cramping. Begin with a teaspoon of coconut oil per day and gradually increase the amount.

3. Increase Your Intake of HealthyFat

One common misconception among people trying to lose weight is that fat is bad; but, this is not true at all. You actually need healthy fats to improve ketone levels in your body, which will help you get into ketosis. As a matter of fact, a ketogenic diet is not only low in carb but high in fat as well. When you follow the ketogenic diet for your metabolic health and weight loss, you will come to know that around 60 to 80 percent of calories are provided from fat. But, keep in mind that consuming too much fat will NOT lead to higher ketone levels. Make sure to have a well-balanced fat intake, from both plant and animal sources.

4. Engage More in Physical Activities

Like with any other diet or weight loss plan, being more active or engaging more in physical activities is another crucial step to get into ketosis. Engaging in some form of workout reduces the glycogen stored in your body. But, when you follow a keto diet, you naturally reduce your carb intake, which in turn will keep your glycogen stores low. As a response, your liver will produce ketones, which will act as an alternative source of fuel for your body.

5. Go On a Fast

In your search for how to get into ketosis, the next step is to go on a fast for several hours. As humans, food is our obsession. In such a culture, choosing to go on a fast can actually be beneficial for your health, contrary to other negative beliefs.

You can also follow “fat fasting”. You will have to consume around 1000 calories on a daily basis, most of which will be from fat. The combination of high fat intake and low calories is an effective method of getting into ketosis.

Another option is intermittent fasting, which refers to regular short-term fasts. This method will help your body in flushing out toxins, thus increasing metabolism and inducing ketosis.

6. Consume the Right Amount of Protein

To achieve ketosis, it is vital that you take just the right amount of protein. While the ketogenic diets used for cancer and epilepsy patients restrict the amount of protein intake to in creating ketone levels, reducing protein intake may not always be ahealthy choice for people otherwise. During weight loss, it is important that you consume an adequate amount of protein to maintain muscle mass.

Once you start following these methods to get into ketosis, keep an eye on your ketone levels by performing urine, blood, or breath tests. This will help you determine whether you need to adjust your diet to properly get into ketosis.